New Radiation Research

When my daughter was three she bumped her head and then experienced nausea and vomiting. Our pediatrician recommended a CT scan to ensure that there was no internal bleeding. We went ahead with the test and I still wonder if we did the right thing. I hesitated and worried as her little body was being rolled through what looked like a giant mechanical doughnut. In addition to worrying about her head bump, I remember wondering: Is this test necessary? What about the radiation exposure?

The CT scan revealed that she was fine, and it allayed our fears. The decision my family had to make is one that many patients face. A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that millions of Americans are exposed to high levels of radiation each year. According to the New York Times, at least four million Americans under age 65 are exposed to high doses of radiation each year from medical imaging. One of the reasons, according to the article, is an increase in the number of CT and PET scans being performed.

According to the New York Times:

About 400,000 of those patients receive very high doses, more than the maximum annual exposure allowed for nuclear power plant employees or anyone else who works with radioactive material.

Dr. Chumley added that the research reinforces why colonoscopy is a better option than virtual colonoscopy for patients being screened for colon cancer.

According to a New York Times article:

Dr. James Thrall, chief radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, said a big limitation of the study was the lack of information about why the tests were done. Without it, he said, it’s impossible to know whether the test was medically necessary.

”There’s a risk that people who need a lifesaving or life-improving imaging procedure might not get one” because of radiation worries, said Thrall, who is also chairman of the American College of Radiology’s board of chancellors.

Another New York Times article states:

Dr. Rita Redberg, a cardiologist and researcher at the University of California,San Francisco, who has extensively studied the use of medical imaging, said it would probably result in tens of thousands of additional cancers.

Each individual patient is at relatively minor additional risk from the tests, Dr. Redberg said, but because they are given to so many people, the cumulative risk is significant.

“It’s certain that there are increased rates of cancer at low levels of radiation, and as you increase the levels of radiation, you increase cancer,” said Dr. Redberg, who was not connected with the new study.

Holly Coyle believes that, in medicine, open lines of communication are crucial. As a writer for Gastroenterology Consultants of San Antonio, she serves as a link between doctors and patients and writes health stories in order to empower readers. Holly has a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University. She also studied at the University of Texas at Austin and was a broadcast journalist for 10 years covering health issues and breaking news.